In the month of June, many things happened. First, the handheld batteries were completed and ready to use. Zaboru ordered Miyagi Batteries, ZAGE's partner in battery manufacturing, to mass produce them, and because the ZAGE handhelds are still in progress and they would be ready by September, at least if a major incident didn't happens that can delayed the productions of ZAGE handheld. Also, Kamen Rider Black officially aired on TV, generating positive feedback especially after Zaboru included a small Easter egg in the ZAGE TMNT game, allowing players to unlock Kamen Rider Black as a hidden character, and lot of ZAGE fans who dislikes Kamen rider or never watch or cared about them, become curious because in one of Kamen Rider Black creations there are Zaboru Names above Kyotaro Shinomori the tokusatsu Father.
Next, SimCity was released in the USA in late June using the same distribution method as Doom—free shareware, with players needing to purchase the full game to continue. Emerald Wings handled this launch. The game received positive feedback, though unlike Doom, which went viral and built a large fanbase in the U.S., SimCity gathered a more niche following. It appealed strongly to casual gamers who loved building cities and characters, making it a great fit for the "Game for Everyone" category. Doom's success also boosted the sales of ZAGE consoles, particularly for games with guns like Metal Gear and Contra.
Several other titles released by third-party developers also stood out. In total, four games dropped this month from both new and returning developers. Notable releases included Nanco's Sora Bozu and Triangle Soft's Jewel Sword RPG. Meanwhile, Ayumi, his girlfriend and Akechi , Ayumi brother from Akaishidan Studio skipped this month's release, stating they were working on something special and aiming to release it in early August, with Ready to review by late July.
Zaboru was excited. Since Akaishidan's latest game Ultimate Bunny Race and A.M.N. dropped in April, they'd taken about three months to develop a new title—which was considered normal in the industry from Zaboru's previous life. ZAGE, of course, was an exception, producing up to six games a month. Sonaya also maintained a strong pace, creating two to three games monthly due to their massive team and resources. For most studios, one game every 3-4 months was standard. Ayumi and Akechi abilities for making games are really increasing which is very good news.
As for Sonaya's releases, they launched two new games this month, both clearly "inspired" by ZAGE titles, which Zaboru didn't really mind.
The first was Galaxy Milkman, a quirky space delivery game that played like a cosmic version of Paperboy. Set across various planets, players delivered milk while dodging alien creatures and getting caught up in occasional naval battles. The premise was ridiculous in the best way, and Zaboru loved it for that reason alone. He appreciated how Sonaya leaned into the absurd by referencing paperboy. It's already absurd , the game didn't perform well commercially, but it garnered a niche fan base similar to Paperboy.
The second title was Majestic Cats, a two-player beat-'em-up clearly modeled after ZAGE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Instead of turtles, players controlled anthropomorphic predator cats—mutant feline warriors. The game began with two characters unlocked, with a total of six to discover: Tora the Flame Tiger, Totoru the Wind Leopard, Kuron the Dark Panther, Shioness the Royal Lioness, Sabro the Ancient Sabertooth, and Kingon the Emperor Lion. Despite its familiar structure with TMNT but lacking 4 player gameplay, the game was solid, polished, and packed with personality. Players loved it, and even Ayumi mentioned wanting to develop a similar beat-'em-up based on rabbits instead of cats.
In the end, Sonaya delivered exactly what fans expected—well-made, entertaining titles that added variety to the overall game library.
The biggest highlight of June, however, was the ZAGE June 6th release lineup, which launched on Saturday, June 28. All six titles sold like hotcakes.
Kid Icarus
First up was Kid Icarus. Despite its cute and charming visuals, the game offered Diabolical difficulty. Even in its original form from Zaboru's previous world, it had been known for being tough. Zaboru cranked up the challenge by adding nasty new enemy types: red octopuses that explode on contact and multiplying insects that split into smaller enemies when killed. However, he also enhanced gameplay by adding a new charge mechanic. Holding the button allowed Kid Icarus to aim and charge arrows, striking multiple enemies at once. Zaboman made an appearance too, introduced via a Z-card that read: "Treasure your life, and you will meet me." Like in Super Mario Bros., he was a hidden character unlocked by beating the game without dying—a brutally hard feat. When unlocked, Zaboman could fire charged arrows faster and jump higher, making gameplay easier.
Fire Emblem
Next was Fire Emblem, a brand-new genre for the ZAGE library: tactical role-playing games. Players took on the role of Marth, the noble prince and main character, leading a growing army across the war-torn continent of Archanea. The story followed a classic good-versus-evil structure, with an evil sorcerer rising to power and attempting to overthrow the established kingdom. Zaboru chose to remain faithful to the original Fire Emblem NES storyline from his previous life, opting not to make major changes.
Gameplay progressed in linear chapters, each representing a new battlefield and evolving story segment. Players unlocked maps and fought strategic battles with terrain advantages and unit positioning playing vital roles. Characters belonged to unique classes mounted knights, archers, mages, and more each offering specific combat advantages and movement patterns. For instance, Pegasus Knights were strong against magic and melee attackers but extremely vulnerable to archers. Cavalry units were highly effective against melee and ranged enemies but weak to magic attacks. This dynamic encouraged players to plan formations carefully.
The game also introduced permadeath, which added serious consequences to each battle. If a unit character fell in combat, they were gone for good, forcing players to weigh every decision for each Characters. Zaboman made a cameo as a recruitable unit during one of the later chapters. If players helped him during one of the stages that he appeared in, he would join Marth's forces by saying "You are very cool , I will join you."
Also His Z-card read: "Help me, then I will help you." In this game, Zaboman was a basic sword-wielding unit with average stats, nothing flashy, but a symbolic and welcome addition to the growing army.
Battletoads
The third title, Battletoads, was known for its infamous difficulty in Zaboru's past life and he kept it that way. It was a beat 'em up platformer also Zaboru made ZAGE Battletoad supporting up to three players. Players controlled mutant toadsRash in single-player mode, with Zitz and Pimple joining in multiplayer as they fight through bizarre enemies and brutal levels to rescue their kidnapped friend and defeat the evil Dark Queen.. The game starts with classic side-scrolling brawler action, where you punch, kick, and use over-the-top finishing moves like giant fists and boots to smash enemies. But it quickly shifts into wildly different gameplay styles, including high-speed obstacle courses like the infamous Turbo Tunnel, vertical rope descents where enemies attack from all angles, and vehicle stages where you ride surfboards, snakes, or jet skis while dodging instant-death hazards.
The game is packed with inventive level design that changes the rules every few stages, keeping players on edge. In multiplayer mode, you can team up with your friends but there are Friendly Fire diabolical mechanics in this game! And since friendly fire is on, you'll often accidentally knock each other out, adding both comedy and chaos while increasing difficulty, while even breaking the friendship with your friends.
With limited lives, no passwords or saves, and relentless enemy patterns, also when playing Multiplayer the enemies amount are increasing.
Zaboman appeared as an optional hidden boss, found by throwing explosive enemies at a cracked wall to reveal his cave. He transformed into a four-armed humanoid alien in a gray helmet, launching brutal attacks. His Z-card read: "Find me with a bomb, then you'll see."
Bomberman
Next came Bomberman. Zaboru also didn't add more to this game except he added multiplayer mode up to 4 players , and Bomberman is top-down action-puzzle game where you control small characters trapped in a maze-like grid made up of breakable and unbreakable blocks.
The core mechanic is simple but strategic: you place bombs to destroy the soft blocks, clear paths, and eliminate roaming enemies. Each bomb has a short fuse and explodes in a cross-shaped blast, which can also harm you if you're caught in the radius. As you progress through the levels—each one a single-screen maze—the goal is to defeat all enemies and find the hidden exit door, which is concealed beneath one of the destructible blocks. Timing and positioning are key, since you can only drop one bomb at a time in the early stages, and you must quickly move to a safe spot before it detonates.
As you clear levels, you can collect power-ups hidden in blocks, such as increasing your bomb range, allowing you to place multiple bombs, or gaining the ability to walk through bombs or walls. Enemies vary in behavior, some wander randomly while others aggressively chase the player, Zaboru also adds some new Enemies type to this game , to make the game richer. Zabo-man also in this game , with a Z card said "I`ll available from the start!" Basically the player can choose to play as Zabo-man from the start, it is just a Bomberman with black body color, and Gray helmet , and the works similar to other 3 bomberman nothing special.
RoboCop
The fifth title was RoboCop, a game heavily adjusted by Zaboru. The gameplay was vertical scrolling, and RoboCop couldn't jump—he had to blast enemies with his gun. Occasionally, civilians would appear during stages, and if RoboCop accidentally shot them, his health would decrease. To handle this, Zaboru added melee options: some enemies would explode when shot, making them especially dangerous near civilians. In these moments, RoboCop had to approach and punch them instead. The gameplay was reminiscent of Isolated Warrior from NES, with its own Zaboru touch.
RoboCop was the only playable character, but he could hire support characters to help in battle. Zaboru rewrote RoboCop's backstory: in this version, he was Alex James Murphy, a senior American Battle officer who fought in Japan during a war against alien forces. Severely injured, he was denied re-entry into America, which instead demanded reparations for the "collateral damage" he suffered. Disappointed in his home country, Alex accepted Japanese citizenship. The Japanese government agreed to bring over his family and negotiated with the U.S. to make it happen.
Murphy was rebuilt into RoboCop by a Japanese tech agency known as Solbrain, which also created various humanoid armored officers. In the game, RoboCop could hire up to two of these Solbrain agents to join him on missions. The five available support officers included:
Sol-Braver (Daiki) – A balanced combatant offering both offensive and defensive support. He excelled in melee and ranged attacks.
Sol-Jeanne (Reiko) – A support-focused character, offering buffs and occasional healing.
Sol-Dozer – A tank-type unit, strong in melee combat and capable of absorbing heavy damage.
The Winspector (Ryoma) – A special agent with devastating fire-based attacks, though prone to accidentally hitting hostages. Best used in non-hostage missions.
Sol-Zaboman – A young and earnest officer, excellent at saving hostages but largely ineffective in combat. Excellent at rescuing hostages, terrible at everything else. His Z-card read: "I only exist to help those who need it!"
Overall this game is similar to Choujin Sentai Z-man , he modified the game like 99% of it.
Nightshade
Finally, Nightshade—the weird but brilliant gem from Zaboru's previous world, the last June release title. Zaboru didn't change a thing; it was already bizarre, stylish, and risky in all the right ways. He doubted it would gain mainstream love in this time period, but he didn't care about that.
The game was a unique hybrid that combined point-and-click adventure mechanics with side-scrolling action, all wrapped in a comic book aesthetic.Players took on the role of a trench-coated vigilante named Nightshade, tasked with cleaning up Metro City after the mysterious death of its previous superhero. The gameplay was split between two distinct modes: exploration and combat.
During the adventure sections, players navigated varied urban environments—alleys, museums, rooftops, and sewers—using a cursor to examine objects, interact with NPCs, collect items, and solve puzzles. Navigation mimicked early PC point-and-click systems but with console-friendly D-pad controls.
Combat initiated during ambushes or scripted encounters, shifting the game into a one-on-one side-scrolling battle format. Nightshade could punch, kick, duck, and jump, but these fights were sparse and often served as narrative set pieces or boss showdowns.
One of Nightshade's most memorable mechanics was its unconventional death system. Instead of a typical game-over screen, failed missions or traps led to the player being captured and thrown into death traps—each requiring a clever mini-escape. Fail enough, and it was truly over, but each failure told its own story.
The game also featured a reputation meter. As players solved crimes and helped citizens, their fame would rise—unlocking new paths and earning trust from NPCs. But poor choices or reckless combat could damage this reputation, closing off dialogue or key opportunities.
And, of course, Zaboman was there—just for fun. He appeared as a brief background cameo while Nightshade investigated a clue. Without warning, he strolled by, said, "You're very cool," and disappeared. His Z-card? It simply read: "When I meet you, I just greet you."
Overall, June had been a packed month, filled with innovation,6 games, and ZAGE's signature creativity. And Zaboru? He was already planning what to do next.
To be continued
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